'Wear Orange Weekend' event calls for ends to gun violence in Roxbury
ROXBURY - People gathered in Roxbury Saturday afternoon to call for an end to gun violence, calling it a public health crisis.
The event was part of Wear Orange Weekend and "National Gun Violence Awareness Day. According to the gun violence archive, nearly 18,000 people have lost their lives to gun violence so far this year.
"A large percentage of gun violence happens in a small number of communities among a small number of residents and it can be incredibly traumatic," said Angela Christiana of MA Moms Demand Action. "I want to be out here with my community partners showing support for them, they're the ones on the front lines dealing with gun violence on a daily basis."
Wear Orange Weekend began in 2015 as a way to honor Hadiya Pendelton, who was 15 years old when she was killed on a playground in Chicago. The gunmen later said she was not the intended target.